Anchoring device

ABSTRACT

A compression and tension load carrying ground or earth anchor having an elongated tubular pile member with tapered helical vanes therearound, a head plate at its upper end thereof, a cup slidable therein, tentacles depending from the cup, and tentacle bending orifices formed in the side wall. The vanes act as screw threads or plow shares when the pile member is driven in the ground, the head plate compacts the underlying earth and seals off any leakage path formed by the pile member or vanes, and the cup is forced downwardly in the pile member to extrude the tentacles through the bending orifices to form anchoring roots at one or more levels. The tentacles have barbed pointed ends fitting flush in the bending orifices. The tentacles may be tubular with orifices downstream from their pointed ends, orifices may be formed in the pile member and through the vanes and concrete may be pumped through the pile member and tentacles to flow through the orifices and form a bed of concrete around the anchor.

United States Patent Deike ANCHORING DEVICE [72] Inventor: Robert F. Deike, Cheyenne, Wyo.

[73] Assignees: William H. Chamberlain; Anna B. Chamberlain, Cheyenne, Wyo. part interest to each [22] Filed: June 25, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 49,727

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 758,554, Sept.

[52] US. Cl. ..52/157, 52/160, 61/5368 [51] Int. Cl. ..E02d 5/80 [58] Field of Search ..52/165, 157, 160, 155, 156, 52/166; 6l/53.68, 53.5

[ 1 Aug. 1, 1972 2/1967 Jackson ..52/155 X Primary ExaminerPrice C. Faw, Jr. Attorney-Hills, Sherman, Meroni, Gross & Simpson [5 7] ABSTRACT A compression and tension load carrying ground or earth anchor having an elongated tubular pile member with tapered helical vanes therearound, a head plate at its upper end thereof, a cup slidable therein, tentacles depending from the cup, and tentacle bending orifices formed in the side wall. The vanes act as screw threads or plow shares when the pile member is driven in the ground, the head plate compacts the underlying earth and seals off any leakage path formed by the pile member or vanes, and the cup is forced downwardly in the pile member to extrude the tentacles through the bending orifices to form anchoring roots at one or more levels. The tentacles have barbed pointed ends fitting flush in the bending orifices. The tentacles may be tubular with orifices downstream from their pointed ends, orifices may be formed in the pile member and through the vanes and concrete may be pumped through the pile member and tentacles to flow through the orifices and form a bed of concrete around the anchor.

10 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAus' I 1912' 3,680,274

ANCHORING DEVICE RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, U.S. Serial 758,554, filed September 9, 1968, entitled ANCHORING DEVICE, U.S. patent 3,526,069 granted September 1, 1970.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to the art of anchoring structures to the ground and capable of supporting heavy tension or compression loads.

2. Description of the Prior Art Fence posts and pole anchors with prongs forced laterally of the driving point are known in the art as, for example, in the Adams U.S. Pat. No. 314,303 patented Mar. 24, 1885 and in the Hovrud U.S. Pat. No. 958,127 patented May 17, 1910. Such devices are not suitable for supporting compression loads and do not have lateral stability. Compression load supporting piles with straight divergent prongs are also known in the art as, for example, in the Proctor U.S. Pat. No. 3,332,247 dated July 25, 1967. Such piles, however, have little tension load carrying capacity and are difficult to drive into the ground.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention now provides improvements on the Anchoring Device of my aforesaid parent U.S. Pat. ap-

plication, Ser. No. 758,554 filed Sept. 9, 1968, enhancing both the tension load and compression load carrying capacity of the device. These improvements include the provision of screw-like vanes around at least a portion of the pile member, the provision of a head plate on the pile member, and the provision of extrusion orifices co-acting with the leading ends of the tentacles in such a manner as to present a smooth side wall on the pile free fromprotuberances. In addition, a simplified self-sealing cup-like head carries the tentacles in the pile member. These improvements cooperate to facilitate driving of the pile member into the ground when the tentacles are retracted in the pile member, to compact and seal off the ground around the pile member and to resist loosening of the pile member in the ground when the tentacles are extended. The pile member is driven into the ground and allowed to rotate so that the vanes act like screw threads or plow shares to thread the pile member into the ground, thus facilitating the pile driving operation. When the tentacles are extended from the pile member, however, reverse rotation is prevented and the pile member is firmly locked in the ground. The locked vanes provide large face areas in friction confronting relation to the surrounding earth, and the pile member is thus locked against sinking under compression loads and against raising under tension loads.

In addition, the vanes stiffen the pile member and the 7 top plate on the pile member compacts the soil, sealing off any leakage paths around the pile member and vanes so that the sunken anchoring device may be surrounded with concrete pumped through the pile and =tentacles. In addition, the vanes are preferably apertured so that the concrete can flow from one vane face to the other, forming a reinforcing bar and locking the concrete to the vane.

The devices of this invention have enhanced usage as footings for houses, as well as for post and tower supports and tie-down mountings.

It is then an object of this invention to improve the device of my parent application, Ser. No. 758,554, U.S. Pat. No. 3,526,069 by providing helical vanes around the pile member, a laterally extending head plate at the top of the pile member and co-acting tentacles and orifices which fit flush with the contour of the pile member.

Another object of this invention is to provide a ground anchor with enhanced compression and tension load carrying capacity having a pile member partially surrounded with helical screw vanes stiffening the pile member against bending, facilitating driving of the pile member into the ground, and resisting movement of the pile member in the ground.

Another object of this invention it to provide a ground anchor with a head plate compacting the ground around the anchor.

A further object of the invention is to provide a ground anchor witha tubular pile member having bending orifices integrally formed in the sides of the tube.

A specific object of the invention is to provide an improved pile member for ground anchors having diepressed downwardly opening orifices in the side walls thereof and tentacle bending faces projecting into the tube and diverging to the surface of the tube.

Another specific object of this invention is to provide a tentacle equipped orificed tubular pile member for ground anchors free from protuberances interfering with the driving of the pile member into the ground.

Another specific object of this invention is to provide a tubular ground anchor with screw vanes and an overlying ground compacting plate,

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in this art from the following descriptions of a preferred embodiment of the invention shown on the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a vertical cross-sectional view, with parts in elevation, of a ground anchor according to this invention illustrating the position of the components at the start of the driving of the device into the earth;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating the ground anchor after it has been driven into the earth;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but illustrating the device after the tentacles have been extended and concrete has been forced around the device in the earth;

FIG. 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view, with parts broken away, taken generally along the line lVIV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of the ground anchor of FIGS. l-4 showing one of the short ing the manner in which the tentacles are initially seated in the bending orifices;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but illustrating the head end of the tentacle unit in the pile tube;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary broken side elevational view of the pile tube showing the bending orifices;

FIG. 9 is a transverse sectional view taken generally along the line IX-IX of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG. 6;

FIG. 11 is an elevational view of the tentacle unit;

and

FIG. 12 is an elevational view similar to FIG. 5 but il- 'lustrating a modified positioning of the vanes on the pile tube.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS .The anchor 10 of FIGS. 1-5 has a metal pile tube 11, a tentacle unit 12 slidable in the tube, a ground-piercing head 13 secured in the bottom of the tube, a flat head plate 14 surrounding the top of the tube, a pair of diametrically opposed tapered helical vanes 15 and 16 secured to the tube along their axial length having wide top ends secured under the head plate 14 and narrow leading ends axially spaced from the head plate and a pair of diametrically opposed short gusset vanes 17 and 18 are provided between the vanes l5and l6 and extend from wide top ends under the head plate 14 to pointed leading ends on the tube.

The tube 11 has a threaded'top end 19 projecting above the head plate 14 and a cap 20 threaded on this end, as shown in FIG. 1, may serve as a means for connecting the device to tie lines or the like or the threaded end of the tube may be directly connected to the bottom end of a post or the like.

The vanes 15 and 16 are helically twisted to provide about one complete revolution or turn of the pile tube 11 as it is driven into the ground to a depth where the head plate 14 compacts the top level of the ground. The vanes are about two feet in length so that rotation is about one turn in about two feet of insertion into the ground. The short gusset vanes are twisted to conform with the pitch of the top ends of the vanes 15 and 16 so that the screw thread effect of the vanes 15 and 16 will not be resisted by the vanes 17 and 18.

As shown in FIG. 1, the device 10 has the point 13 entering the earth E and an impact hammer 21 with a cup end 22 surrounding the threaded end 19 of the tube 11 and resting on the head plate 14 adjacent the tube is provided to drive the device into the earth E to a depth where the head plate 14 will engage the ground as shown in FIG. 2. During this driving operation, the tentacle unit 12 is completely retracted inside of the tube 11 and offers no resistance to the driving action. As illustrated in FIG. 2,'the earth underlying the head plate 14 is compacted at GE. and the driving of the device into soft or loose earth may require forcing of the plate 14 below ground level, as illustrated.

It should be understood that the driving of the pile member 11 into the earth E is initially a straight axial movement much in the nature of driving a nail into a blockof wood. Then when the leading ends of the vanes 15 and 16 engage the earth, further driving of the pile member into the earth will effect a rotation of the I preferably provided through the vanes 15-18 to permit concrete to flow therethrough as will be more fully hereinafter described.

The tube 11, as shown in FIGS. 6, 8 and 10 has bending orifices 24 formed in the side wall thereof. These orifices are provided in pairs in diametrically opposed relation, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, and several pairs of such orifices at different levels along the length of the tube may be provided, as shown in FIG. 8. Each orifice is formed by die punching the tube, providing a transverse cut 25 and depressing the tube wall under lying the cut into the tube forming a downwardly opening hole and a bending shoe 26 diverging from the inner rim of said hole to the exterior surface of the tube and also converging from the lateral extremities of the cut 25 to a pointed end 27. Thus, the orifices 24 are free from any protruding lips or bulges and, as shown in FIG. 6, have a downwardly opening entrance end inside of the tube 11 and a lateral opening backed by the bending shoe 26.

The tentacle unit 12, best shown in FIG. 11, includes a head 30 with two pairs of dependent tentacle tubes 31 and 32. The tubes 31 are in diametrically opposed relation and are longer than the tubes 32, which are offset 1r from the tubes 31.

The head 30, as shown in FIG. 7, is a metal cup with a deformable, outwardly bevelled mouth 33 slidable on the inner wall of the pile tube 11 and converging to a cylindrical side wall 34 which fits freely in the tube 11 and has an apertured bottom 35 from which depends the tentacle tubes 31 and 32 so that the interiors of these tubes are in full communication with the interior of the cup.

The tentacle tubes 31 and 32 have pointed ends 36 fitting the bending shoe walls 26 of the orifices 24 and also have barbs 37 engaging the cut edge 25 of the orifices. The outer faces 38 of these pointed ends are cylindrical and fit flush with the wall of the tube 1 1 so that the orifices are closed and no protuberances are provided.

When the pile 11 is driven into the ground to its desired depth, as shown in FIG. 2, a ram rod 40 is inserted through the open top end of the tube to engage the head 30 of the tentactle unit 12 and the unit is driven toward the bottom of the tube 1 1, thereby forcing the tentacles 31 and 32 through the orifices 24 whereupon the bending shoe portions 26 of these orifices deform the tentacles laterally outwardly and axially upwardly from the tube into the earth to provide a first pair of anchoring roots 41 adjacent the bottom end of the tube 11 and a second pair of anchoring roots 42 at a level above the roots 41 and in right angle relationship therewith, as shown in FIG. 4.

The tentacle tubes may be apertured as at 43, immediately behind the barbed portions 37 of the points 36. The roots 41 and 42, of course, anchor the tube 11 to the earth, preventing relative movement of the tube in the earth.

If desired, the tube 11 can also be apertured at spaced intervals along its length as shown at 44 in FIG.

3, and a conduit 45 can be coupled to the top end of the tentacle rods to be discharged through the orifices 43 and through the tube orifices 44. A bed B of concrete will thus be formed around the tube 11 and the anchoring roots 41 and 42. This concrete will tend to flow along the front faces of the vanes 15-18 and can flow through the apertures 23 in these vanes toform concrete columns extending on both faces of the vanes. The compacted earth C.E. underlying the head plate 14 will seal off the earth surrounding the anchor device so that the concrete will not flow above ground level. A very firm concrete bed is thus easily formed around the anchoring device to enhance the tension and compression load carrying capacity of the device.

As shown in FIG. 12, a modified anchoring device a of this invention has the vanes axially spaced from the head plate. As therein shown, the pile tube 11 has the head plate 14 secured thereto near the upper end thereof with gusset vanes 50 secured to the under face of the plate and to the side wall of the pile tube 11 to provide a rigid head. The pair of vanes 15 and 16 described in connection with the anchor unit 10, are

then secured to the sides of the pile tube 11 to terminate in spaced relation beneath the gusset vanes 50. It will, therefore, be understood that the vanes can be positioned anywhere along the length of the pile member 11.

From the above descriptions, it should be therefore understood that the anchor devices 10 and 10a of this invention have tubular pile members driven into the ground and equipped with helical vanes to provide a screw thread action during the driving operation, to resist bending of the pile, and to provide additional ground engaging surfaces preventing movement of the device relative to the earth after it has been driven into position in the earth. The devices of this invention include tentacle units slidably mounted in the tubular pile and having pointed barbed leading ends locked in orifices in the tube wall. The tentacle unit is subjected to a driving operation after the pile has been driven into the ground to its desired depth and the unit provides anchoring roots projecting from the tube. The tube has a head compacting the earth and enhancing the compression load carrying capacity of the device. Concrete may be pumped through the pile member of the device and through the tentacles to provide an anchoring bed in the earth surrounding the device.

I claim as my invention:

1. A ground anchor comprising a tubular pile,

member adapted to be driven into the ground, a tentacle unit slidable in the pile member having an open top cup and depending hollow tentacle rods, bending orifices in the side wall of the pile member receiving said tentacle rods therethrough and shaped to deform said rods laterally outwardly and axially upwardly from the pile member when the cup is driven toward the leading end of the pile member, screw vane means surrounding a portion of the pile member, a head extending laterally from the pile member adjacent the top end of the pile member, said vane means adapted to thread the pile member into the ground, said head adapted to compress the underlying ground, and said pile member adapted to receive concrete therethrough under pressure for flowing through the cup and hollow tentacle rods to form a concrete bed around the pile member.

2. The anchor of claim 1 wherein the cup has a deformable mouth sealing against the tube when receiving concrete.

3. The anchor of claim 1 wherein a long pair and a short pair of tentacle'rods depend from the cup and have leading ends fitting in the orifices flush with the outer wall of the tubular pile member.

4. A ground anchor comprising a rigid tube adapted to be driven in the ground, transverse cuts in said tube, the portions of said tube underlying said cuts being deformed into the tube forming downwardly opening holes in the tube defined by the top end edges of the deformed portions and the bottom edges of the cuts, and said deformed portions diverging outwardly and downwardly from the top end edges to the outer wall of the tube forming bending shoes, and tentacle rods in said tube having leading ends projecting through said holes and overlying said bending shoes with outer faces flush with the outer tube wall, said shoes deforming said rods laterally outward of the tube when the rods are forced through the holes.

5. The anchor of claim 4 wherein the leading ends of the tentacle rods are pointed and have trailing barbs engaging the bottom edges of the cuts to prevent retraction of the rods into the tube.

6. An earth anchor comprising a pile member adapted to be driven into the ground, said pile member having a flat head and diametrically opposed laterally extending screw vanes with wide trailing ends supporting the head and narrow leading ends terminating short of the leading end of the pile member, said vanes being twisted to provide about one turn of the pile member as it is driven into the ground up to said head and having a steep pitch to assist the driving of the pile member into the ground with a threading action having a plowshare effect on the earth loading and compacting the soil on the back side of the vanes, tentacle means carried by the pile member in a retracted position during the driving of the pile member into the ground, and means on the pile member effective to deform the tentacle means laterally outward from the pile member when the tentacle means are forced toward the leading end of the pile member, said laterally projected tentacle means locking the vanes against rotation in the ground to provide support for both tension and compression loads on the pile member.

7. An earth anchor comprising a pile member adapted to be driven into the ground, said pile member having a laterally projected head plate on the top end thereof, gusset plates secured to the pile member reinforcing the head plate against deformation and laterally extending screw vane means. underlying said head plate and extending around the pile member with a steep pitch to assist the driving of the pile member into the ground with a threading action having a plowshare effeet on the earth loading and compacting the soil on the back side of the vane means, tentacle means carried by the pile member in a retracted position during the driving of the pile member into the ground, and means on the pile member effective to deform the tentacle means laterally outwardly from the pile member when the ten- 8. An earth anchor comprising an elongated tube apertured along the length thereof and adapted to be driven into the ground, laterally extending screw vane means around a portion of the tube having a steep pitch effective to thread the tube into the ground during the driving of the tube with a plowshare effect on the earth loading and compacting the soil on the back side of the vane means, a head on the tube adapted to compact the ground above the screw vane means, tentacle means carried by the tube in a retracted condition that will not interfere with the driving of the tube into the ground and constructed and arranged to be driven toward the leading end of the tube and laterally projected from the tube into the ground thereby locking the screw vane means against rotation and holding the head against the ground to cooperate with the vane means for supporting tension and compression loads on the pile member, and said vane means having apertures adapted to flow concrete from the tube.

9. An earth anchor comprising an. elongated pile member adapted to be driven in the ground, laterally extending screw vane means around a portion of the pile member having a steep pitch effective to thread the pile member into the ground during the driving of the pile member with a plowshare effect on the earth loading and compacting the soil on the back side of the vane means, a flat plate head on the pile member adapted to compact the ground above the screw vane means, said screw vane means having wide upper ends secured to the bottom of said plate and tapering therefrom to narrow bottom ends, and tentacle means carried by the pile member in a retracted condition that will not interfere with the driving of the pile member in the ground and constructed and arranged to be driven toward the leading end of the pile member and laterally projected from the pile member into the ground thereby locking the vane means against rotation and holding the head against the ground to cooperate with the vane means for supporting tension and compression loads on the pile member.

10. The anchor of claim 9 where the screw vane means are a pair of diametrically opposed screw vanes and plate reinforcing gusset vanes are provided between said pair of screw vanes and are secured to the pile member and plate.

Patent No. 3,630,274 I Dated November 2, 1972 Inventor(s) Robert F. Deike It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 4, line 26, cancel rr'" and insert --90- Signed and sealed this 6th day of March 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT 3OTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commlssloner of Patents FORM PO-IOSO (10-69) LJSCOMM-DC 60376-;- 6J

u.s. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: I969 0-366-334 

1. A ground anchor comprising a tubular pile member adapted to be driven into the ground, a tentacle unit slidable in the pile member having an open top cup and depending hollow tentacle rods, bending orifices in the side wall of the pile member receiving said tentacle rods therethrough and shaped to deform said rods laterally outwardly and axially upwardly from the pile member when the cup is driven toward the leading end of the pile member, screw vane means surrounding a portion of the pile member, a head extending laterally from the pile member adjacent the top end of the pile member, said vane means adapted to thread the pile member into the ground, said head adapted to compress the underlying ground, and said pile member adapted to receive concrete therethrough under pressure for flowing through the cup and hollow tentacle rods to form a concrete bed around the pile member.
 2. The anchor of claim 1 wherein the cup has a deformable mouth sealing against the tube when receiving concrete.
 3. The anchor of claim 1 wherein a long pair and a short pair of tentacle rods depend from the cup and have leading ends fitting in the orifices flush with the outer wall of the tubular pile member.
 4. A ground anchor comprising a rigid tube adapted to be driven in the ground, transverse cuts in said tube, the portions of said tube underlying said cuts being deformed into the tube forming downwardly opening holes in the tube defined by the top end edges of the deformed portions and the bottom edges of the cuts, and said deformed portions diverging outwardly and downwardly from the top end edges to the outer wall of the tube forming bending shoes, and tentacle rods in said tube having leading ends projecting through said holes and overlying said bending shoes with outer faces flush with the outer tube wall, said shoes deforming said rods laterally outward of the tube when the rods are forced through the holes.
 5. The anchor of claim 4 wherein the leading ends of the tentacle rods are pointed and have trailing barbs engaging the bottom edges of the cuts to prevent retraction of the rods into the tube.
 6. An earth anchor comprising a pile member adapted to be driven into the ground, said pile member having a flat head and diametrically opposed laterally extending screw vanes with wide trailing ends supporting the head and narrow leading ends terminating short of the leading end of the pile member, said vanes being twisted to provide about one turn of the pile member as it is driven into the ground up to said head and having a steep pitch to assist the driving of the pile member into the ground with a threading action having a plowshare effect on the earth loading and compacting the soil on the back side of the vanes, tentacle means carried by the pile member in a retracted position during the driving of the pile member into The ground, and means on the pile member effective to deform the tentacle means laterally outward from the pile member when the tentacle means are forced toward the leading end of the pile member, said laterally projected tentacle means locking the vanes against rotation in the ground to provide support for both tension and compression loads on the pile member.
 7. An earth anchor comprising a pile member adapted to be driven into the ground, said pile member having a laterally projected head plate on the top end thereof, gusset plates secured to the pile member reinforcing the head plate against deformation and laterally extending screw vane means underlying said head plate and extending around the pile member with a steep pitch to assist the driving of the pile member into the ground with a threading action having a plowshare effect on the earth loading and compacting the soil on the back side of the vane means, tentacle means carried by the pile member in a retracted position during the driving of the pile member into the ground, and means on the pile member effective to deform the tentacle means laterally outwardly from the pile member when the tentacle means are forced toward the leading end of the pile member, said laterally projected tentacle means locking the vanes against rotation in the ground to provide support for both tension and compression loads on the pile member.
 8. An earth anchor comprising an elongated tube apertured along the length thereof and adapted to be driven into the ground, laterally extending screw vane means around a portion of the tube having a steep pitch effective to thread the tube into the ground during the driving of the tube with a plowshare effect on the earth loading and compacting the soil on the back side of the vane means, a head on the tube adapted to compact the ground above the screw vane means, tentacle means carried by the tube in a retracted condition that will not interfere with the driving of the tube into the ground and constructed and arranged to be driven toward the leading end of the tube and laterally projected from the tube into the ground thereby locking the screw vane means against rotation and holding the head against the ground to cooperate with the vane means for supporting tension and compression loads on the pile member, and said vane means having apertures adapted to flow concrete from the tube.
 9. An earth anchor comprising an elongated pile member adapted to be driven in the ground, laterally extending screw vane means around a portion of the pile member having a steep pitch effective to thread the pile member into the ground during the driving of the pile member with a plowshare effect on the earth loading and compacting the soil on the back side of the vane means, a flat plate head on the pile member adapted to compact the ground above the screw vane means, said screw vane means having wide upper ends secured to the bottom of said plate and tapering therefrom to narrow bottom ends, and tentacle means carried by the pile member in a retracted condition that will not interfere with the driving of the pile member in the ground and constructed and arranged to be driven toward the leading end of the pile member and laterally projected from the pile member into the ground thereby locking the vane means against rotation and holding the head against the ground to cooperate with the vane means for supporting tension and compression loads on the pile member.
 10. The anchor of claim 9 where the screw vane means are a pair of diametrically opposed screw vanes and plate reinforcing gusset vanes are provided between said pair of screw vanes and are secured to the pile member and plate. 